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Education / Training Testing the Crosman 2200 – Part 1

Testing the Crosman 2200 – Part 1

by B.B. Pelletier

Back in November 2006, I tested a Crosman 2200 Magnum I had just picked up at the Roanoke airgun show. The gun appeared unfired, but after testing it for velocity I learned that the pump seals were hardened with age and disuse. I said at the time that that test was a good reason for owning a chronograph.

How did I know what the problem was?
How do I know the pump seals had hardened? How would you make that same call with a rifle you owned? Well, I researched the 2200 online and found that the expected velocity with .22-caliber Crosman Premiers was between 550 and 600 f.p.s. on 10 pumps. My rifle wasn’t coming close to that. I oiled the pump cup to no avail. The pump was pumping, but not as efficiently as it should. From past experience, I knew that these synthetic seals harden with time and disuse, so I guessed that was what had happened this time.

A pump cup or piston head seal expands as it encounters air pressure. As it expands, it seals the compression tube even tighter. A hardened pump cup does not expand as readily, thereby losing some of the air pressure it would normally compress. That was the symptom I was seeing with my rifle.

I had promised to look at the accuracy of that test rifle, but the test results discouraged me and I never got around to it. Then, in March 2008, Joe G. from Jersey reported on his 2200. His rifle was performing nicely and was able to give readers a better showing than mine had. I was glad for that.

B.B. takes his own advice
You probably know that I send readers to various repair stations to have their guns modified and repaired, and I thought that maybe it was time I reported on the success of this first-hand. To get on my list, these places have to rank high with me, but this time I thought I’d go the extra mile and give you a report on a gun someone fixed for me.

Rick Willnecker
I used Rick Willnecker practically the entire time I published The Airgun Letter. A lot of what I tell you guys about CO2 I learned from him. At that time, Rick was located in Maryland about 25 miles from my house. He moved over the Pennsylvania border and was then about 80 miles away. I still used him, though, because I had faith in his work.

Rick was a leader in remanufacturing certain vintage seals and critical repair parts for vintage airguns. After Crosman purged their inventory of all their vintage parts, Rick bought out most of what they had and started finding small manufacturers to make the parts new. Today, he’s a vital source for vintage Crosman, Benjamin and Sheridan parts. About the only American line he doesn’t support is Daisy.

This is Rick’s contact info:

Rick Willnecker in PA. Visit his website, call him at 717-382-1481 or
email him.

When I contacted him for the 2200 repair job, I learned that he has continued to expand the line of vintage parts over the years, so that today he is a leading supplier of hard-to-find repair parts for pneumatics and CO2 guns. But I was more interested in his repair job than parts–I thought. As it turned out, when the rifle arrived at Rick’s, the plastic butt stock was broken, so a new one had to be purchased. At only $8, I couldn’t complain. So you see, sometimes we may not think we need repair parts, but when our luck changes suddenly we do.

The entire repair job cost me about $39 with return shipping, and was turned around in one month. That includes the cost of the new buttstock. In the next report, we’ll see what a fresh 2200 rifle is supposed to do, but for now let’s examine the gun itself.

2200 has the same powerplant as the 2100
Of course, the .22-caliber Crosman 2200 is no longer made, but the .177-caliber 2100B is still in production. The powerplants of both rifles are identical, but the 2100B shoots either BBs or lead pellets. It has a magnetic bolt tip to hold the smaller BB in place until the blast of air hits it. The 2100 has an onboard BB reservoir and a small BB magazine that’s replenished from the larger reservoir.

02-18-09-2100

Crosman 2100 is a .177/BB-caliber version of the same multi-pump pneumatic as the 2200.

BBs are smaller and lighter than lead pellets, so they produce higher velocities. But BBs are not stabilized by the rifling, which has no affect on them. They fly randomly after leaving the muzzle, where lead pellets are engraved by the rifling and spin in flight. They’re quite a bit more accurate than BBs, and they perform much better on very small game. If you want to eliminate small pests or shoot targets with your 2100, lead pellets are the only ammunition to use. BBs are just for general plinking–when a pop can at 20 feet is all the accuracy you need.

2200 is the .22 version
The 2200 is .22 caliber and shoots lead pellets only. The rifle I have is a variant called the 2200 Magnum. There were three versions of the 2200 Magnum, and I have the first one–made from 1978 to 1982. It’s distinctive because the receiver is chrome-plated, and yes, I do mean chrome, which is very unusual on a gun of any kind. Nickel is the usual bright plating metal, but sometimes chrome is used, and the 2200 Magnum is one of those.

2200-web
Crosman’s 2200 Magnum was a great .22 caliber multi-pump of the 1980s.

2200-receiver-web
Chrome receiver looks sharp. You can see the scope rail at the top.

2200-sight-web
Rear sight adjusts for both windage and elevation. Rear screw is loosened and sight pivots in the direction you want the pellet to go.

Both the 2100 and 2200 allow up to 10 pumps per shot, so that’s how I’ll test the gun for velocity. I will also show the velocity with a lesser number of pumps so you can see the performance curve. I’ll also pump the rifle and wait 30 minutes before firing to see if there’s a velocity drop. We’re fortunate to have Joe G. from Jersey’s report on his 2200, so there’s another gun to compare to. This should be an interesting report on a fine vintage multi-pump.

author avatar
Tom Gaylord (B.B. Pelletier)
Tom Gaylord, also known as B.B. Pelletier, provides expert insights to airgunners all over the world on behalf of Pyramyd AIR. He has earned the title The Godfather of Airguns™ for his contributions to the industry, spending many years with AirForce Airguns and starting magazines dedicated to the sport such as Airgun Illustrated.

49 thoughts on “Testing the Crosman 2200 – Part 1”

  1. That gun brings back some real memories! My uncle had a 2200 and I used to spend a lot of time at his house as a kid shooting squirrels in his back yard. He let us shoot whatever we wanted to as long as we ate it. We ate some weird stuff. That gun was great. I remember being able to pretty consistently make head shots with the open sights at 20 yards or so. My cousin had a little .177 that he’d use with us and I don’t think he ever killed a squirrel with it, but I remember removing a lot of the little pellets from some squirrels after we killed with the 2200. I was probably about 12 or 13 then. That gun was the only significant air gun I ever had as a kid. It eventually quit working, and I decided to take it apart and it never worked again. Now I wish I had it back. I’d like to find another one some day. Those are the times I remember when I shoot my air guns now.

    Verification word is “viced”
    Yup

  2. UW Hunter,

    I never knew anyone who had or used one of these as a kid. I bet it seemed special back then!

    These guns sell for $40-75 at the airgun shows and they are not hard to find. Maybe an old one like this would be harder–I just bought it because it looked so good.

    Thanks for telling us your story.

    B.B.

  3. BB, do you have a way to diagnose poor shot placement? Any typical patterns that show whether it’s the shooter, rifle, or pellet that’s causing inaccuracy? I know this is a loaded question, but I was plinking last night, and I got the scope to place good shots with a pellet that had reasonable grouping, then right when I got the scope adjusted and made 2 good shots, WHAM! A complete stray to the right followed by another like it with a slight spread. Any guess? Maybe we should compile the typical problems and solutions in to a series. JP

  4. ………….Re. Springer ‘warm-up’ and some Whiscombe Notes…

    I shot a few 10 shot strings with the Whiscombe to see if there is a ‘warm up’ period with the first few shots, and I also weighed some pellets to see if 0.1 grain here or there makes a difference in this air rifle’s pellet placement or speed.

    If anyobody is interested in this trivia then let me know.

    – Dr. G.

  5. JO,

    You ask a complex question for which there is no one answer that’s always right.

    Start by sorting your pellets by weight. When I shot field target, I learned pretty quickly that weight-sorted pellets had the best chance for accuracy.

    Then eliminate all possibility for parallax. That means putting tape on the stock so your head always rests in the same place.

    Have you eliminated cant? Do you shoot with a bubble level or other means of leveling every shot?

    Finally, if you are shooting a springer, how you hold it makes a huge difference! A tight vs loose hold can change everything. That’s why the artillery hold is so important. Even the attitude in which the rifle is held (e.g. on its side as opposed to upright) will change the firing behavior.

    B.B.

  6. B.B.,

    If you’re interested then I’ll be happy to tell you what I found out…

    First, what’s your guess…1.) Is there a warm-up period when starting with a Whiscombe at 56 degrees?, and 2.) Is the gun sensitive to .1 grain changes in pellet weight (or less) when shooting Kodiak (10.1-10.4) .177?

    To run the tests, I shot 10 meters. I’ll post a bit later today.

    Looking forward to your guesses.

    – Dr. G.

  7. I have had both the 2200 and the 2100 by Crosman. Got rid of the 2200 and still have the 2100. I think the 2100/scope kit is one of the most underrated set-ups out there. I love that gun.

    Both the 2200 and 2100 suffer from the same mushy trigger and loading pellers into both are a pain, especially if you have large hands. Between the two, my wish would be to make it easier to load.

    As far as the 2100 goes, I’ve taken plenty of squirrels with it (head shots only and crosman wadcutters seemed to be best. Domed pellets seemed to “skim” the skull of the squirrels while wadcutters appeared to “bite” into the skull). It was the one air gun that I have owned where I knew that what ever I placed the crosshairs on, I would hit it. It is also the rifle that I have made my most memorable shots with. I’d recommend it to anyone.

    Al in CT

  8. Dr.G
    Follow-on from yesterday……
    No, I don’t have any experience at blowing up tanks or pumps to speak of.
    The manufacturer says….3000 psi max then I take their word for it. I don’t usually fill beyond 185 bar because one rifle does not like it.
    Did smoke one pump. It was a Air venturi from PA. Never let it get hot, never took it over 3K, lasted about 6 months.
    Looks just like the AF and Crosman pumps….Chinese. Same description…won’t heat up, factory tested, 3600 psi, easy pumping.

    No…I have found over the years not to push things beyond what they are supposed to handle, and in some cases it’s better to use a lot of safety margin.

    twotalon

  9. B.B.,

    Well, here's the data…it looks like you MAY be correct about the Whiscombe warm-up factor, but I will have to run the test again with precisely weighted pellets to ascertain with more surety. In any case, if there is a warm-up factor it appears at my temperature of testing to be limited to 3 shots, and is worth about 10-15 fps.

    Regarding the effect of .1 grains, you are correct that the Whiscombe perceives the difference, but you are incorrect in that it actually does measurably demonstrate the difference at 10 meters.

    Picking unsorted Kodiaks .177 will result in 80% within 10.2-10.3 grains, with the remaining 20% weighing 10.1-.2 and 10.3-.4 grains… This first string is unsorted (meaning the weights can be anywhere from 10.1-10.4), Whiscombe 10 meter sitting, with gun from 56 degree room to shooting in 62 degree room:

    907
    err.
    891
    892
    902
    902
    904
    902
    885 ^ shot 2-3/16" high (in barrel longer during barrel rise)
    883 > shot 2-3/16" to right
    901

    From this it looks like no clear warm-up effect, which made me put the rifle in the 'heated' garage (temp. of refrigerator instead of outside, which is like a freezer) whilst I weighed and sorted pellets for the next round of 10 and had supper. I figured that any warm up effect might have been hidden in the variance thrown in by different weight pellets.

    I gave the gun 25 minutes to cool down, and then shot this string of 10.2 – 10.3 grains..

    886
    889
    896
    900
    889
    899
    891
    894
    903
    895 …….. It looks like there may be a 3 pellet warm up effect, and if one figures the std. deviation and mean, then one can say with more certainty that there is such an effect….Regarding whether the gun notices the difference in .1 grain, clearly it does (see Range and Spread below) and clearly there is a difference in POI due to something (I can only assume due to time in barrel as the barrel is rising a tiny bit).

    Deleting the first 3 shots of each 10-shot string leads to:

    Unsorted (10.1-10.4)xxxxx Sorted 10.2-.3
    Range: 883-904 xxxxxxxxx Range: 889-900
    Spread: 21 fps xxxxxxxxx Spread: 11 fps

    An easier and more convincing method to see how the gun reacts to different weights is to simply continue along the same road of using weighed pellets, but this time use precisely weighed pellets of two weight extremes, thus…

    10.36 grains… 10.10/10.12 grains

    882 fps ……. …908/907 fps

    I think I may have to return to sorting pellets if I am going to be measuring my target shooting by 1/16ths" even when shooting at 10 meters, as there is at least a 1/16" and occasionally (probably 5% of pellets) 2/16" effect with this Whiscombe 80.

    I really like this gun and would like to buy a 1 or 2 cock version…can I buy yours B.B. (you can keep the.20 barrel)? Anyone else have one to sell for market price? Thank you.

    – Dr. G.

  10. JP,

    RE: 2 “good shots”

    Small sample statistics are notoriously unreliable. A 2 shot “sample” is just ridiculously small. Make a target with multiple bulls. Shoot 30 shots, then measure horizontal and vertical deflections. Calculate mean values for each and standard deviation. That’s your stake in the ground.

    Now experiment and try to get better. Do different pellets group better? Does weighing pellets help? Does visually sorting them help? Does using another rifle give better results? Does another hold improve results?

    You could of course start out with just 5 shots. Gross variations will show up. But as the variations (sources of error) get smaller and smaller, you have to shoot more and more shots to get a statistically significant results.

    Herb

  11. Dr. G.

    Nice report, thanks!

    I haven’t tried weighing pellets yet… I wonder if temp variance makes any difference in a PCP or springer… if the fps is the same, the power source probably doesn’t matter.. a blast of air, is a blast of air.. right? Is it the barrel warming up, that your measuring?

    The fins on the pellet, there thinness or thickness, and their ability to be forced into the rifling is the larger factor to me..

    If the seal from the blast is different with different pellets.. that seems the biggest factor IMHO.. then variance in the weight of THOSE pellets would be next thing to do.. that’s why I like the JSB pellets, their thin edges form into the rifling best, I think..

    Wayne
    Ashland Air Rifle Range

  12. B.B. & UW Hunter

    I got a 2200 magnum as an extra from someone I bought an old HY-Score from, for only $30 and extra $5 for shipping, since I was getting the HY-Score too..

    I haven't even tried it yet..
    I'll get out the crony and see what it's doing.. I'm not attached to it at all.. so you could have it for what I've got into it.. but let me see what shape she is in..

    Later,

    Wayne,
    Ashland Air Rifle Range

  13. Wayne,

    My understanding is that what you say is correct about the importance of fitting the barrel and the importance of the skirt doing what it should do.

    I have little doubt that the skirt issue is more important with spring guns than other power sources because the intense and sudden (rapidly escalating pressure as a function of time) blast of consequently very hot air has a much larger effect on the skirt than does the cooler, less sudden rush of PCP, CO2, or Pump air.

    So, I seat those pellets in as far as I can, ‘specially with that Whiscombe because it compresses faster/hotter than any other (spring) air gun in production. I have also noticed that an insuffieciently seated pellet in a Whiscombe causes John Hisself to groan all the way over in England.

    – Dr. G.

  14. Hia BB,
    Glad to see you had the 2200 put back into action. I am also glad to see my old article. After shooting mine a few times a month for the past year, I need to check velocity again. The rifle now seems to enjoy the heavier JSB 15.9 gr @ 551 FPS. This average was at 10 pumps in 40 degree garage, back in December.

    My 9 year old son and I used this rifle to shoot a few pest pigeons back in the summer. I think the RWS Super Points were giving too much penetration without using enough of their terminal energy. So thats why I shifted to the JSB’s. I also need the test the Super Domes again.

    Joe G From Jersey

    PS Thank you for the kind remarks.

  15. BB,
    I love Remington 77 (crosman 2100). I fired many thousands of rounds through it and never had a problem. Then again, I never used BBs either. I wish it were still made in .22, I still have the daisy 22sg, but I like the 2200 platform much better.
    Shadow Express dude

  16. Al,

    There is nothing better than a rifle that you know will always hit the target. I don’t care what model it is, if it will do that it’s a great rifle.

    I haven’t reported on the trigger yet, but the one on my 2200 is very stiff and heavy. And loading really is a pain.

    I will give more impressions when I do the next report.

    B.B.

  17. BB,

    I wish that they were able to develop a better way to load it. I liked the lines of the 2200 more (reminded me of a browning A5) than the 2100 (more remington), but found loading the 2100 easier. Thought that was odd since .22 pellet is larger and easier to handle, but that’s my experience.

    I think by far the best loading crosman air rifle that I have ever used is the crosman backpacker pump model in .177. That particular rifle had a synthetic breech that rolled out to load, and then rolled back in. Very simple and quick. That Backpacker was the only model that I’m aware of that used that method of loading. Makes me wonder if there was a problem with it. Whatever, still was easy.

    I’m only in my mid 30’s but my hands are no longer what they used to be due to (mis)use. Fine manipulation is not as easy as it once was. Makes current break barrels very attractive since they are so easy to load.

    Al in CT

  18. BB,I am currently working with a Daisy 822 which,according to one of your old blogs was made between 1976-1978.I think it is the predecessor of the 22SG.I paid 20$ at a flea mkt.It has a real wood stock,but I would trade it for the Crosman in an instant!the fit and finish on your reciever look great.I think the 822 was such a short run because of barrel looseness.the front sight/barrel sleeve cap fails to secure the barrel without doctoring it.I’ve read complaints that the 22SG suffers from the same issue.it’s easy to fix,but you have to want to tinker and not all consumers appreciate needing to…Makes me wonder what the heck manufacturers are thinking…I doubdt the Crosman has this design flaw. FrankB

  19. I didn’t know where to post this, so I will post it here, and please let me know if there was a more appropriate place.

    I am just starting to shoot competition air rifles, 10 meters. I use a Feinwerkbau 700. It’s my first time to shoot something like that. My groups are terribly bad, almost 1 inch diameter, 10 meters away. I haven’t shot any competition rifles before, thus I want to know if there is any external factor that is affecting my aiming, or I just need practice. Could you explain in details how to adjust the sights of a such rifle, how should the target look in relation to the sights when I aim…
    Also if possible, can you describe the correct way to stand, hold the rifle, aim, use the trigger, the breathing, and so on..
    I would really appreciate if you provide help with this matter

    Thank You

  20. Wayne,
    I’ve found that cold does impact accuracy for spring and PCP both.

    When I’m shivering accuracy goes south big time.

    Actually I’ve not experienced any real change. But logic would dictate that that as lubricant gets colder it thickens and slows things down.

    DB

  21. This is off topic. I would appreciate if someone can shed some light on the following issue.

    Two months ago, I purchased a Gamo Whisper. After about 1,000 rounds the screw that attaches the butt end of the chamber and the stock started becoming loose until the chamber came partially off the stock during cocking. At this point, what appears to be a tensioning steel spring (sort of a bent steel shim) fell out through the chamber/stock gap. The plastic piece at the back of the chamber also fell off.

    I went back to Dick’s and exchanged for another Gamo Whisper. This one looked really good and was yielding better groupings and all. However, yesterday at the range, same thing happened after about 2 hours, although not as dramatic. The chamber separated a little from the stock every time I cocked the rifle. At this point I had about 1,500 shots through the rifle (in a three-week period)

    I was able to tighten the screw and everything seems to have fallen back in to place.

    Curiously, this has happened to three out of three rifles I have owned. The first one was a Slavia my father bought me circa 1979, which was (is) a wonderful rifle otherwise. At some point the chamber got loose from the stock on its butt end and I had to tape around it to fix it (I was 16 at the time)

    Now, my questions:

    – Is this a common occurrence? or am I missing something like tightening screws constantly to prevent this?

    – I think I will just keep this rifle and keep tightening the screws. I am not sure that the recess in the stock is a good place to put Loctite. Is it?

    – My main interest is target shooting, as well as plinking out to 100 yds. Should I instead get yet another new Whisper or just another $250 rifle altogether? I will not invest in a more expensive rifle until I feel I “deserve it.”

    I really appreciate any input on this. Thank you!

    P.S. This blog is the best thing since the invention of the internet!!!

  22. Andrew M.B. Boktor,you have definitely come to the right place!Go to the top of the page,and on the right side you will see a search box.Type in “10 meter rifles”.the search will bring up a multi-part series that will tell you lots of stuff you are going to need to know.you have a VERY good gun to work with,and these articles will improve your shooting,teach you the RIGHT way,and help you adjust and maintain your air rifle.Post back here if you don’t understand something,someone will be glad to help out! WELCOME, Frank B

  23. Tunnel Engineer,

    Your problem puzzles me. I have never head of it, and I’m not sure that I understand what is happening.

    But I can tell you that spring guns are not known for falling apart this way (if I understand what you have said).

    Let’s take this slowly because this has happened to you with three different rifles and two different models, yet it’s a thing I never heard of before.

    By “attaches the butt end of the stock and the chamber,” are you referring to the bedding or stock screws that hold the spring cylinder (possibly what you are calling the chamber) together? If so, you are describing a very common problem with spring-piston airguns. They vibrate when shot and they loosen their stock screws. People are advised to tighten those screws periodically, which might be every 100-300 shots, or so.

    Before I ramble on, please tell me whether you think I have understood you.

    B.B.

  24. Tunnel Engineer,ALL spring piston guns like to loosen their screws…the recoil is the culprit.Now that you know this,every so often,snug up the screws!it is very important that you do this by hand ONLY.you also want to have a tight fitting GUN screwdriver kit.this is very important.an ordinary screwdriver blade is wedge-shaped when viewed from the thin side.this will harm the screwheads of your airgun.a gun screw bit of the right size and width will flt the screw you are tightening without wiggle room.you may also use LOCKTIGHT on your screws.read the directions and be sure to use the removable kind that doesn’t require heat to remove!PYRAMYD sells a good gun screwdriver kit.Tight screws will improve your accuracy tremendously! good luck…FrankB

  25. Anderw,

    I will help you. Let’s begin with your stance and how you hold the rifle.

    The way you stand should determine where the pellet hits the target within 1.5 inches of the center of the bull in either direction. So if you are not standing correctly, you cannot possibly shoot a good group.

    If you are right-handed (please transpose if you are a lefty) stand with the LEFT side of your body pointed toward the target. Stand comfortably for now with your feet about shoulder-width apart.

    I want your left upper arm to rest against your ribcage, and I don’t care how much you weigh. Rest the rifle on the flat of your left palm, so you can hold the weight of the rifle with the left hand, alone. You control the height of the front sight by how far out on the stock you rest your left palm. If the rifle is too high, slide the left palm away from you–BUT KEEP THE LEFT UPPER ARM AGAINST YOUR RIBCAGE.

    You are not using muscles to hold the rifle. Your left arm is rested against your ribcage and supports the weight of the rifle.

    Now extend your right arm out and grasp the pistol grip of the rifle. The right hand and arm DO NOT support the weight of the gun. Your right arm is coming across your body in this position.

    Hold the pistol grip lightly and position your trigger finger so the cented of the pad on the end is on the center of the sight blade.

    Please practice getting into this position 100 times and each time you do I want you to take a practice shot at a bull 10 meters away. Please use the dry-fire or training feature on your rifle. Don’t shoot any pellets.

    Andrew, the goal of this drill is to make getting into position so natural that you feel uncomfortable in any other position when holding that rifle.

    When a baseball pitcher takes the mound, watch him. You will see that he spends a lot of time positioning his feet so that his body is positioned for the pitch. Once they is accomplished, it is very difficult for him to thrown the ball may feet to either side of home plate.

    Go to this report and look at the 10-year-old girl who is shooting an FWB P70 Junior this way:

    /blog/2008/1/10-meter-rifle-part-1/

    Then look at an advanced shooter doing the same thing:

    /blog/2008/03/10-meter-rifles-part-3-the-olympic-rifles-continued/

    Get back with me when you understand this drill and feel ready to move on.

    B.B.

  26. B.B. said:
    “are you referring to the bedding or stock screws that hold the spring cylinder (possibly what you are calling the chamber) together? If so, you are describing a very common problem with spring-piston airguns. They vibrate when shot and they loosen their stock screws. People are advised to tighten those screws periodically, which might be every 100-300 shots, or so.”

    Yes! Thank you and excuse me for my poor air gun lingo. That is exactly what is happening. B.B. and Frank, thank you very much!

    I will carry a suitable screw driver with me at all times. I was pretty dissapointed with the first Gamo when this happened, mainly because it did not give much warning as the second did, and would have required to take the stock appart and reassemble in order to fix it.

    The Whisper was doing really well otherwise with 3/8 inch groups at 10 13 yd from a bench, and it will continue to do so!

    Thank you

  27. Thanks to all, I appreciate the multiple advice. I was mainly lookng for patterns to match my description. When I was in the Marines, they took us to the “Laser tag” range. Using thier electronic targeting system, they would record every movement of where the rifle pointed as a marine got into position and a couple seconds after he “fired”. Typical patterns emerged that the range experts pointed to certain conditions (flinch at firing, “muscle-ing” the sight onto the target, etc), and showed us how to correct it. Anyway, I might start by cleaning the barrel and checking it, then I’ll be running tests with records. Again, thanks. JP

  28. BB and Andrew B,

    at the risk of providing some invalid advice, I’d like to share with you what an old shooting buddy told me to do years and years ago. To get the idea position for your feet and body, aim the rifle at your target, close your eyes for a few seconds and then re-open them. If your rifle sights have moved off target, re-position your feet so that you have the sights again pointed at the target. Do this until your rifle does not move from the target sight and you will have found your ideal stance. Then all you have to worry about are a thousand other things :).

    The same applied for me for prone position with rifles and for target shooting for pistols. Hope I’m not out of line here, BB.

  29. Wayne,
    I would be very interested in your 2200 Magnum if you are serious about parting with it. Is yours the one like BB’s with the chrome? Mine was just black, but it would still have the same feel that I remember so fondly.

    Everyone,
    The 2200 is a real pain to load. I remember that vividly. I was eventually able to get it down just right by putting the pellet in the edge of the loading port and then rotating the gun to roll the pellet into position. I was even able to do it while looking up in the trees tracking an injured squirrel. Man I had some fun with that gun!

    Word verification was “pasessed”, last one was “viced”……maybe I am??

  30. Fred,

    I don’t think you’re out of line.

    This is a small part of the shooting technique that B.B. (Tom Gaylord) described in his book the Beeman R1 Supermagnum Air Rifle, self published in 1995, 13 years ago,(and probably wasn’t the first time he described a shooting technique).

    This wasn’t the only significant information contained in this cutting edge publication that to this day still commands respect and is greatly sought after by airgunners and collectors alike. Here is one used copy of B.B.’s (Tom Gaylords) Beeman R1 book on amazon (only one used copy available…Price?…$649.00)

    https://www.amazon.com/Beeman-R1-supermagnum-air-rifle/dp/B0006F5BXA

    Yep, this is the same guy that answers your questions. I don’t know how since he’s participating in creating the first television show dedicated to airgunning, doing radio spots, recording podcasts, creating video’s for PA and writing daily articles for this blog. Superhuman.

    kevin

  31. BB and Kevin,

    while I still have the R1 book you sold me at Roanoke, BB, I haven’t gotten to your shooting tips yet. I’m up to the Lazer tune part. No, I am NOT selling it on e-bay. It’s part of my collection and a valued part at that.

    Anyway, my final report for the RWS 350: I just finished making a Vince B shim from a coffee can lid for the breech seal or o ring so that it will stand proud of the breech. Results are: 850 fps low, 870 fps high and average of 861 fps! This compares to the 745 fps with a leaking o ring and 830 fps when the leaker was replaced with a 109 o ring. With the shim, I gained another 40 fps.

    I still need to replace the external spring guide but I now believe the RWS 350 is shooting where it should be. Thank you one and all for your tips, encouragement and advice.

  32. Fred,

    VICTORY! You must have some sense of satisfaction. You have become a role model of do it yourself tuners. A trial of tribulations to be sure but success in the final analysis. Thank you for the journey.

    Hopefully you paid less than $649.00 for the Beeman R1 Supermagnum book so that you could possibly profit from the investment.

    kevin

  33. Frank B
    I have both the Crosman 2200 and the Daisy 22 SG. As of now the Daisy does not have the loose barrell problem, but my 2200 did. It was an easy fix by removing the outer barrel and wrapping a little gaffers tape around the steal barrel so it fit back into the sleeve nice and tight.

    The 22 SG is about 50 to 70 FPS slower, but the trigger is better and so is the accuracy. The 22 SG is also very easy to pump 10 strokes where as the 2200 leaves my hand sore after an hour of shooting.

    JoeG From Jersey

  34. ……Micro-Meter at 3600 PSI > Part I

    I pumped up that li'l tank to 2,500 psi then I pumped 100 mo' and got to 3,000, after which I pumped 50 mo' and got to 3200, at which time I added 50 more and hit 3450, whereupon I needed to push in only 30 more to hit…3600! Not that hard with the Air Force Pump.

    I have little doubt that I could add another 20-30 and hit 3700, but the dial only goes to 3600.

    I chose to use those nasty Crow Magnum pellets for this test, as accuracy was not an issue and those pellets are wortheless for anything other than doing something like this.

    They weigh 26.3-26.7 grains and were used throughout the test except for shots (17) and (18) which were taken with Kodiak 30.6 grains for purpose of comparing energy produced by the different pellets at these speeds.

    I will be reporting speeds and energy for these innacurate Crow Magnum pellets. If the accurate Kodiaks were shot, they would travel about 11 fps slower in this air gun and produce about 2-3 ft.lbs. more energy with each shot, as they are about 15% heavier…they are that much more efficient in this gun.

    Remember, all this data occurs at 10 meters. I purposely left out the first digit in the fps collumn, which is always 5 exept in shots (1) and (3) where it is 6 (as in 6 hundred)

    # fps E ….# fps E
    1. 03 21 . 21.80
    … 98………87
    … 05………84
    … 99………78
    … 93………79
    … 95………83
    … 99………80
    … 93………76
    … 95………75
    10.98…..31.75
    … 89………67
    … 91………73
    … 92………75
    … 92………74
    … 93………err
    … 87………77
    … 73 [Kodk].75
    … 77 [Kodk].67
    … 81 ………81
    20.84 20..40.72 19

    So, we have 40 shots of (translating the data to more meaningful Kodiaks) consisent 590 fps = 24 ft. lbs. down to 560 fps = 21 ft lbs. at 10 meters, with the hammer being the primary gun sound.

    Now, then, what do you think the pump dial is pointing to?

    Any guesses?

    Part II will be coming up in the next few days if there is continued interest, at which time will be disclosed where these 40 shots took us on the pressure gauge (Hint: it is still above 3,000) and where the shots went from here, and how many it took to get below 500 fps.

    This 500 fps mark, which =17 ft.lbs., and so is not chopped liver by any standard of small bores, is simply an arbitrary stopping point because it is harder to shoot at longer ranges when the pellet goes this "slowly.". If anybody has experience with shooting at some distance using 400 – 500 fps pellets, then I would be interested in knowing what happened. At that point, it might make sense to drop to a lighter weight pellet to increase the speed, such as H & N h.p., to get a flatter trajectory, but that is the only other accurate .25 pellet for this gun – I have tried them all. Maybe better to just aim higher?

    B.B./Hunters,

    Can you please tell me how much energy at POI is needed to immediately kill a coyote with a head shot? Would this be about the same amount required to do the same thing to a large wild dog, or are their skulls diffferent? I'm not planning anything, simply curious.

    – Dr. G.

  35. Dr.G,how long has this theoretical wild dog been wild?this might be a factor in a proper answer because IMHO the skullbone thickness would vary…A domesticated pig will show rapid transformation physically if released in the wild!{by rapid,I mean 6 weeks,typically}I can only assume in canines,domestication mirrors that of pigs.Thicker skullbones and coarser hair as well as dental adaptation are all potential adaptations….WOW,I drank too much MOUNTAIN DEW!!!FrankB Joe G.Thanks for that response,I used gorilla tape…I miss my roll of Gaffers tape,I lost it in Katrina.oh hell,I’m tearing up…I miss that roll!!!!

  36. Fred,

    Closing the eyes was very good advice. I should have remembered to put that in my explanation. Thanks for catching it!

    Your success with the thicker shim makes it even more important for me to retest the Diana 27 as Vince suggested. And I will also test the leather seal at the same time.

    I’m so glad your 350 is shooting the way you expected it to. It’s nice when you have confidence in something, isn’t it?

    Thank you!

    B.B.

  37. Hi,

    I have practiced my stand a lot now. Somehow getting a little better results. I have 1 problem though, to aim the gun correctly I have to put my left hand further forward compared to the pictures you showed.
    So what next? The gun I am using is not mine, so basically, I know nothing about whether it’s sighted in correctly or not..

    So waiting for your next instructions

  38. Andrew,

    Breathing is next. You practice 3-4 deep breaths before picking the rifle up. Then one breath as you mount the rifle. Let that breath halfway out as the front sight is lowered to the target, then hold the breath.

    Hold on target for no longer than 5 seconds. If you haven’t taken the shot by then, lower the gun and rest a moment, then go through the procedure again.

    When you lower the gun, flip the breech open so the rifle cannot fire.

    In a match, you will have a chest-high rifle rest next to you when you stand. That’s where the rifle rests when you are not shooting. For now you can rest the butt on the ground next to you, taking care to keep the muzzle pointed safely away from you.

    By shooting before 5 seconds pass, you ensure your heartbeat disturbs the gun as little as possible. Stop drinking all caffeine drinks. That’s coffee, tea and some soft drinks. Never touch an “energy” drink!

    Practice this in your next dry-fire sessions.

    B.B.

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